Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced it has completed the final round of sea trials for the guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128), marking another step toward delivery of the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class vessel to the U.S. Navy.
The acceptance trials, conducted over several days in port and at sea, were overseen by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey and confirmed that the ship met required mission capabilities. Delivery to the Navy is expected in the coming weeks.
“Our goal is to deliver the most advanced and capable warships to the fleet as quickly as possible, addressing the increasing national security needs of the United States and our allies. The work of the entire DDG 128 team exemplifies our relentless pursuit to achieve this very mission,” said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. “Our shipbuilders take great pride in reaching this milestone, which stands as a testament to the teamwork and skill that define our destroyer program at Ingalls.”
DDG 128 is the second Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Ingalls. The Flight III variant incorporates the AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, technologies intended to enhance the Navy’s ability to counter advanced threats.
Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy, including the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). Additional Flight III destroyers under construction include Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133), and Thad Cochran (DDG 135).
